Handsome Strangers
by MykEsprit
Summary: During a fight, a handsome stranger tries to come to Peggy's rescue.


**Disclaimer: Marvel/Agent Carter and Harry Potter are not mine!**

 **Written for Marvelously Magical Fanfiction's Summer Fling 2018.**

 **A gift for Entwinedlove.**

 **Handsome Strangers**

Five thugs had cornered her in a dark alleyway.

Correction: five thugs _thought_ they had her cornered in a dark alleyway. In reality, it was skillful maneuvering on her part—five bodies in the middle of a crowded London street would inadvertently involve the local authorities, and she simply didn't have time to deal with them tonight.

Not with an explosive concoction metaphorically ticking in her right pocket, Hydra's newest and most advanced weapon yet, freshly stolen from their underground laboratory in Greenwich.

Thug 1 mumbled something that sounded like, "You're in for a world of hurt, doll," or some other nonsense.

Thugs 2 and 3 laughed, their voices bouncing off the high walls of the two buildings that hugged the narrow alley.

She could hear Thugs 4 and 5 stomp behind her, closing in and blocking her only exit.

Peggy Carter glanced at her wristwatch. She had no idea what this canister of fluid was capable of—she needed to get it to the nearest SSR laboratory as quickly as possible to get it stabilized. And it looked like the only way to do that was to get through these five idiots.

Thug 1 jeered something else—really, couldn't Hydra hire criminals who were a little less loquacious?—and then motioned for his comrades to attack.

She bit back a smile and planted her right foot slightly behind her left, angling her arms to ready for the first attack. It came from Thug 3 on her right, his fists swinging wide—too wide. She grabbed his arm as it swung toward her, using his forward momentum to throw him to the nearest pile of rubbish.

Thugs 2 and 4 came at her simultaneously—one from the front while the other rushed her from behind. She had enough time to roll her eyes before stepping aside at the last second, causing her attackers to crash their skulls together with a satisfying and unsurprisingly hollow _thud_!

Peggy turned her head towards Thug 3, who now had his back pasted against the red brick wall. She cocked an eyebrow; he gulped audibly.

As she was baiting Thug 3, a movement at the corner of her eye caught her attention, but it was too late. Thug 1, despite his hefty size, could move swiftly, and he was on her before she could sidestep the attack. She tumbled to the ground with a sharp hiss, her forearms taking the brunt of the fall.

Before she could pull herself up, quick footsteps pounded on the cement and came at a sudden stop at her side. There was a firm grip on her left upper arm and at her waist as she was pulled to her feet.

" _Bloody hell_!" a gruff voice yelled next to her ear, and she winced from the volume. The fingers around her arm tightened and pulled her behind a broad-shouldered frame. "Picking on a woman? Let's see how well you get on when you deal with me!"

With a sharp yank, she freed her arm from the stranger's firm grip. "I beg your pardon, but I don't believe I asked for your help!"

The intruder swiveled his head towards her, his grey eyes fixed on her with a look of utter disbelief. "I beg _your_ bloody pardon?! Should I have just walked by and let these two beat you to a bloody pulp?!"

She narrowed her eyes at the meddling stranger. "I had it under control," she said through gritted teeth.

He scoffed and ran his fingers through his short, dark curls. "Is that what you call it when you've got your face planted to the ground? 'Under control?'" He drew quotation marks in the air.

"If it escaped your attention, I've already taken care of three of them," she sneered, gesturing to the still forms on the ground. "These two would have just taken me another moment. It was by sheer luck the idiot caught me off guard."

"Hey!" Thug 1 cried in offense.

She held up a finger in his direction. "I'll deal with you in a moment," she snapped before turning back to the increasingly annoying stranger. " _Further_ more, by standing here and arguing with me, you're putting the entire city in danger! I could have been done with these two by now and safely on my way, but here you are with your—" she waved her hand over him, "—hair, and your—your eyes, and—did you expect me to swoon against your broad shoulders?" She curled her fingers and planted a fist on either hip.

The left corner of his lips turned up in a rakish grin. "Something like that."

"Oy!" Thug 1 interrupted.

She and the stranger snapped their heads toward him and yelled at the same time, "What?!"

Thug 1 flicked his eyes from her to the stranger. "Are we going to get a move on with this scuffle?" he asked brusquely.

She narrowed her eyes. "Do you have somewhere you'd rather be?" She took a step forward but halted when she felt the stranger's hand on her shoulder.

"Let me handle this," he said in a smooth, suave tone.

She blew a sharp breath through her nostrils and swayed her arm out, inviting the man to take a turn. He winked at her before he sauntered up to Thug 1.

"Let me show you what happens when you— _oof_!" Thug 1's ham-sized fist made contact with the stranger's jaw. The stranger crumpled to the ground.

Peggy sighed. "Right," she muttered. She motioned for Thug 1 to come closer, and he obliged, charging for her, arms swinging. She stood her ground. When Thug 1 got into striking distance, she jabbed her right fist at his nose, resulting in a dramatic spurt of blood before swinging her left fist at his temple. He was unconscious before he even dropped to the cement.

A whimper in the shadows caught her attention. Thug 3 still had his back against the wall, his eyes wide with fear.

"Are you just going to stand there, or-?" she taunted.

With another snivel, Thug 3 dashed out to the street, not looking back.

Another sound made her turn her head—this time, a moan as the stranger tried to sit up from his position on the ground.

He cradled the side of his face, massaging the angle of his jaw. "What happened?" he groaned.

She helped him sit up. "I believe you were in the midst of 'handling' the situation when it punched you in the face."

"Where's the situation now?" he asked, with a bit of a slur.

She held his face up to the light and pried his eyes open, searching for signs of intracranial trauma. "Taking a nap beside you," she quipped.

His eyes shifted to the motionless heap on the ground. "My face softened him up for you," he insisted.

"Undoubtedly," she replied flatly. She helped him up on his feet. He swayed when she let go, so she looped an arm over her shoulder. He leaned against her as they stumbled out of the alleyway. When they reached a light post halfway down the block, she said, "Listen, I need to leave you here, but you're going to be fine." She tried to wriggle out of from under his arm, but she couldn't budge out of his hold.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked. "You're leaving me to bleed out on the streets?!"

"You're not even bleeding," Peggy snorted. "Are you always this dramatic?" She started to walk away.

"I don't even know your name!" the stranger yelled after her.

She halted her steps and turned around to face him. "What's yours?"

"Sirius," he said, that damned smirk back on his face. "Sirius Black."

She squinted her eyes at him. "Truly?" she asked.

He nodded his head, rolling his eyes. "Yes, yes, 'siriusly!'" he said before pausing. "Oh. I thought—that's not what people usually say when they first hear my—my name," he stammered. In the dim light, she could see the slight flush of his cheeks. "Well, now you _have_ to tell me your name, after I embarrassed myself."

She pivoted on her heels and sauntered away. "That's on a 'need to know' basis."

"I need to know!" Sirius called after her.

She turned around once again but didn't stop her progress down the street. She threw him a smirk back. "Perhaps next time you come to my rescue, _Sirius_."

"Looking forward to it!" she heard as she started speeding down the street.

Handsome strangers notwithstanding, she still had a world to save.

 **A/N: Thank you for reading! Reviews are appreciated!**

 **Prompt: Person A gets in a fight and Person B steps in to finish it. Person B introduce themselves** **afterwards, optionally, Person A already knows who they are.**


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